I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

A Taste of Magic

37th Course – Stand the Heat

"I wish I could be there to watch you crush Malfoy," Parvati said. "There's no way you'll lose to that pompous prat."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Harry said, somewhat distracted. He was looking through his two cookbooks and making notes on his wax tablet.

"You can't possibly think you'll lose," Hermione said, incredulous.

"I really don't think I will," Harry said, chewing on his quill feather. "But there's always a chance I mess up and there's a chance he'll make something that tastes really good. I don't want to get cocky or…what's that word where I mess up by being too cocky?"

"Complacent?" Lavender offered.

"Yeah, that. I don't want to be that." Harry wiped the tablet clean with a tap of his wand and went back to scribbling. "Besides, I don't want to just win, it has to taste good too. And it has to be something the judges will want to eat and like."

"So everyone who was picked by you two agreed to be judges?" Parvati asked. She hummed when Harry nodded. "Well, Seamus will probably vote for you just to spite Draco. He and you don't get along really but he hates Draco on principle. Right Ron?"

Ron nodded. "He really doesn't like Malfoy."

"I'm not counting on that," Harry said, "and like I said, I want it to be good too."

"Terry is nice," Padma said. "He doesn't have any odd tastes in food or doesn't lean a certain way in what he likes or doesn't like I don't think."

"I still can't believe you picked Hannah," Neville said. "Sorry Susan."

"Oh don't apologize, I can't believe you picked Hannah," Susan said. "I wasn't kidding, she really thinks you're her nemesis."

"Yeah but will she vote against me just because of that?" Harry asked with a slight huff.

"No," Susan said stoutly. "She has standards and she also hates Malfoy so she won't." After a moment she shrugged. "At least, she shouldn't."

"Would Smith and MacMillan join with Malfoy because they're all Society?" Lavender asked.

"Uhm, Smith might. He's an arse that way and he is really snooty about being in Society," Susan said after some thought. "Ernie doesn't like the Malfoys much but he is pretty deep set in thinking that Society families are better and all that. So probably not a bad choice in the end for Hannah."

"Wait, people really would vote for other Society families even if they don't think they legitimately won the contest?" Hermione asked.

"Some do," Neville said with Susan agreeing.

"That's not right," Hermione said, shocked.

"That's politics," Neville said. "Half the deals in the Wizengamot are from members buying votes and support."

"The whatagot?" Harry asked.

"Wizengamot. It's the body of government in the Ministry," Susan explained. "The Heads of the families that are a part of it sit on it and they determine laws and people can be trialed by them and all sorts of things. It's the pillar of governance going back to when Wizarding Britain was founded."

"That sounds kind of corrupt if people can buy votes and things," Lavender said.

"That's politics," Neville repeated with a snort. "Been like that forever."

"Who gets to be on the Wizengamot?" Lavender asked.

"Most of the seats are hereditary," Luna said, looking up from her sketchbook. "Lots of families own their seats through generations, passing them down from Head to Head. Daddy wrote an article once saying that the seats demand a head to sit on them and that if anyone they don't like sit on them, they bite them on the bum and the seat loses power forever."

"She's not completely wrong," Ron said, giving Luna a confused look. "Families own their seats and they aren't lost unless the family does something bad and gets kicked off or can't pay the fee to keep it. It's really hard for anyone else to become a member of the Wizengamot."

"No one votes for them?" Hermione asked.

"If there is a vacancy for a new seat after a previous family has been voted out or the seat has been given up," Neville said. "But voted on by sitting members of the Wizengamot."

"Not the public?" Hermione asked. She looked scandalized at Susan and Neville and Ron and Luna's head shakes. "That's not right at all! How can they claim to uphold the will of the people then? Do what's in their best interests?"

"They…don't say that," Susan said weakly.

"Don't tell me that's politics," Hermione said when Neville opened his mouth,

"Okay I won't," he said instead.

"Well we have an idea of what the other three are like, anyone knows what Greengrass is like?" Parvati asked.

"She's uptight but not in a bad way," Millicent said, walking into the clubroom. "Very Society but her family is known for being stubborn and doing what they want most of the time. She's no friend of Draco either."

"Does she buy into the House unity thing?" Sue asked.

"When she feels like it," Millicent said. "But only when she feels like it and not out of any form of loyalty. As in, she doesn't do it because you're supposed to."

"So you have one person that hates you but hates him too, one person that nothings you, one person that hates the other guy more than you," Parvati said, counting on her fingers. She looked at Millicent.

"Make that two people that nothing you," Millicent said after a moment's thought. "She doesn't care for Gryffindor as a whole but she doesn't have an issue with you personally as far as I know."

"Does anyone know what their favorite foods are?" Ron asked.

"It's okay," Harry sighed when people shook their heads. "I wouldn't want to cater to them that way either. I'll just have to do what I do best."

"You're very good at that," Luna said, a bright smile on her face. "Make your tasty art and you will be fine."

"Thanks Luna," Harry smiled. He noticed how Millicent looked and noticed how she was alone. He walked over to her. "Where's Pansy?"

"She's in our room resting," Millicent said quietly. "She and Draco got into a huge fight last night."

"Oh no, it's my fault isn't it," Harry groaned.

"Yes in the sense it started over the duel," Millicent sighed. "But Draco took it too far this time. Basically said you only keep her around because she's useful and she's desperate for attention and that's the only reason she's your friend. He said some really gross stuff about her in front of everyone."

"What?!" Harry shouted, drawing everyone's attention. "That's not the reason at all! I'm friends with her and you because I want to be and you two are good friends!"

"I know that and you know that," Millicent said, her voice also heated. "Pansy knows that, deep down, but it got to her and she slapped him in the face and cried. She had a bad night."

Harry growled for a moment. "Is she okay?"

"She will be, I think," Millicent said sadly. "Don't worry, she'll still be there as your second. She's just taking time getting ready. She's still upset." She looked Harry directly in the eye. "I hope you crush Draco."

"Don't worry," Harry said, eyes burning. "It's really personal now."

-0-

They assembled in a very large room on the ground level of the castle. The kitchen elves had set it up with identical equipment on either side of the room with ingredients and other things in the middle. The four judging students were seated in the middle along the wall so they could watch and the four Heads of the Houses stood to one side with the Headmaster to watch as well.

Terry looked the most interested, sitting there and looking around with an eager expression. Seamus looked a bit out of place, giving Draco a dirty look while giving Harry a complicated expression. Daphne appeared bored on the surface. She sat in her seat with hands folded and looked coolly detached. Hannah fidgeted in her seat, looking like she did not want to be there.

Snape shared that expression, though he was more obvious about it, looking bored and disinterested. Flitwick was eager and McGonagall looked determined. Sprout appeared interested in everything, sitting in her seat comfortably. Dumbledore exuded his usual aura of calm geniality, as if the occasion was a pleasant diversion.

Harry stood at his station, eyes gazing off into nothing as he rolled his plans about in his head. Every so often, he would throw Draco a cool look that the other boy ignored, content to whisper snide things to Theo.

"Hey," Harry greeted softly when Pansy came in and walked to him. "Are you okay?"

She scrubbed her eyes with her hand. "Millie told you," she said.

"She did," Harry said. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Pansy said quietly, not looking across the room at all. "You didn't force him to say those things. You didn't force me to slap him."

"I heard it was an awesome slap," he joked and felt better when a ghost of a smile appeared.

"I suppose," she said and her smile faded. "I'm…I'm okay. I think."

"I'm going to crush him," Harry vowed, shooting Draco a look that startled the other boy, making him look uncertain for a moment.

The smile returned on Pansy's face. "For me?"

"Definitely. You stood up for me, now it's my turn," Harry said.

"The rules are as follows," Dumbledore began and everyone turned to look at him. "You have one hour to prepare what you wish from the ingredients here. At the end of the time, you will serve a portion to each judge and they will judge the winner based on the dish they received. Any questions?"

"No Sir," Harry said.

"None," Draco said.

"Very well, begin," Dumbledore said and turned a large hourglass. Grains of sand fell within the apparatus and it pulsed with light. Harry and Draco went to the table of ingredients and both left laden. Harry carried his on a sheet tray and Draco levitated one with his wand.

"Oh my," McGonagall said. "They picked very similar things."

"Beef, pastry, and mushrooms I see," Flitwick mused. "Onion, no those are shallots, are all the same. The differences are in the spices and a few other small things it appears."

"Copying me, Potter?" Draco said snidely when he realized Harry took the same ingredients.

"Looks like it," Harry said, not sparing the other boy a glance. "Doesn't mean the end result will be the same."

"You will lose," Draco said confidently. "I have been trained by some of the best. Who have you learned from."

"From books and the telly and experience," Harry said, slicing the mushrooms finely after preparing them with the Vegetable Cleaning Charm.

"You might as well give up, you have no chance," Draco crowed.

Harry's eyes met his. "I don't see any of your food on the tables at Hogwarts," he said plainly, without heat or boast. Yet the statement made Draco sputter and Harry returned to his work.

"Ouch, he might need some ointment for that burning remark," Sprout chuckled softly.

"Do you have any with you, Severus?" Flitwick asked with bright eyes and a mischievous smile.

"Oddly enough, I do," Snape snorted. He sighed and shook his head. "I tell Draco time again to mind his work and to focus on himself. To let action and deed speak instead of his lips."

"He's in for a rough lesson then," McGonagall said quietly.

Harry seared the beef tenderloin in oil, browning it on all sides after seasoning it with salt and pepper. It crackled in the pan, filling the air with the scent of cooking beef. He took it out once it was browned all over and applied a thin layer of mustard before letting it sit. Taking all the sliced mushrooms, he chopped them finely and put them into a pan and cooked them until all the moisture was removed and mashed them into a paste.

He layered pieces of thinly sliced Parma ham so that they formed a sheet and put the mushroom duxelles mixture onto the ham. The beef went on top and he wrapped the ham and mushroom layer around the beef tightly, making it as compact as possible. He took the wrapped meat and put it into the enchanted ice box and checked the time carefully, rolling out the pastry and preparing the rest of the recipe. Once chilled for as long as he could allow it to, the wrapped cylinder was then put on a rolled layer of pastry that he brushed with beaten egg before wrapping it as tightly as he could, pressing the seams tightly.

The pastry encased meat was placed seam side down and onto a baking tray. He carefully cut vents onto the surface of the pastry after brushing it with more beaten egg and placed the whole thing into the oven to bake.

Draco had done something similar. His motions were not as sure as Harry's, but he made up for it by using magic more. He used his wand to flip the browning meat in the pan and set it aside. Mushrooms were roughly diced with the wand once more and he put those in the pan to cook with some butter and shallot. When cooked through he removed the mushrooms from the heat and waved his wand over them to cool them.

The pastry was rolled out and flattened, by hand this time, and he put the layer of mushrooms down and put the meat on top of them. He wrapped the pastry around the meat and pressed on the seams, using his hands and frowning all the while. Finally done, he placed it seam side down and brushed it with beaten egg and put the whole thing into the oven.

Theo looked on, clearly bored and disinterested. Pansy watched both Harry and Draco more intently. Having seen Harry cook, she knew he was capable but seeing him cook now was like a different level. Whenever he cooked in the clubroom with them, he still smiled and chatted, working all the while he did. Here he was purely focused on what he was doing, tasting things along the way, making changes and adjustments that he knew the reason for. Even during the large Christmas dinner last year, he looked happy and at ease while cooking. Here, he was what she imagined a professional looked like. He wasted no movements. He did everything surely and without hesitation.

Draco, on the other hand, was not as confident. He still affected an expression of cool disdain, as if he was doing something he was above doing. Yet he acted like he was following a recipe. Only doing what he thought he needed to and no more. He kept stopping and thinking before moving on, and while his wand motions were confident, nothing else he did was as confident. More than once he looked across at Harry and blanched a little, seeing how fast and sure Harry was in comparison.

Terry followed the action without reservation. He looked excited even, his eyes bouncing back and forth like a person following a tennis match. Seamus looked mildly impressed, watching Harry cook. Daphne's façade had receded a little as she too watched them with interest. Her lip curled when she watched Draco flounder at the stove a little. Hannah's eyes followed the two boys for a bit before she settled more on watching Harry, taking note of what he did.

"He looks like a professional," McGonagall murmured. "Like he has cooked like this many times."

"He has," Dumbledore said quietly. "And it shows."

"It's very impressive," Sprout said.

While the beef and pastry cooked in the oven, Harry stood at the stove and added minced shallots to the pan that seared the beef with butter. When the shallots were cooked through, he added some cooking sherry and scraped the brown fond the beef left before adding beef broth. After bringing it to a simmer, he reduced the heat and added crushed peppercorns and cream, whisking it gently over a low heat and then setting it aside.

After checking the time, Harry dashed back to the ingredients table and grabbed a few things and went back to his station. He grated horseradish and mixed it with salt and vinegar, letting it sit for a few moments while mincing chives. He then whisked heavy cream until it was thick and folded in crème fraiche, chives, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper along with the prepared horseradish.

Draco had also made a sauce primarily of more sliced mushrooms and beef stock, cooking it down over the stove. He looked around the board for something and looked upset when he could not find any. Grinding his teeth, he continued onwards, seasoning the reducing sauce with salt and pepper.

They both removed their trays from the oven at the same time. Both looked golden brown, the crust crackling and crisp. Steam left the vents they sliced in and a delicious aroma of beef and pastry. After they rested for a few minutes, they sliced into them. The meat was tinged red, the pastry cooked through, the mushrooms fragrant and rich.

Draco sliced his with slashes of his wand and put the pieces on a plate. He poured his mushroom sauce over them and stood at the ready with four plates done. Harry sliced his with a knife, measuring each piece slightly with his fingers before slicing through. He placed his slices on each plate and dipped up a small measure of sauce into individual boats and placed them by each plate.

"I made a Bouef en Croute," Draco said, "with a mushroom sauce. I was taught by the head chef at Sheen, this is his recipe that has won many rewards and he said I make it just as good as he does."

"I made Beef Wellington," Harry said. "This is a pepper sauce or sauce au poivre and this is a horseradish sauce. The horseradish is cool and creamy but has a spicy bite to it and the pepper sauce is more peppery."

While the four judges ate, Harry made three more plates with sauces on the side. He brought the biggest remaining piece to the professors. "You'll have to share," he said apologetically.

"I don't think that will be a problem, thank you Harry," Flitwick beamed.

"Hey, why are you sucking up to them?! They only determine a winner if there is a tie!" Draco protested.

"Doesn't mean they can't have some either," Harry retorted. "I even made a plate for you and if you don't want to eat it, you don't have to." He left a plate at Draco's station and took the last one to Pansy.

"For me?" she asked, eyes shining.

"It's your favorite, right?" he asked.

"Oh, yes," she said, wondering. "You remembered me saying that weeks ago. Thank you." She dug in eagerly, eating a bite without any sauce first. The beef was medium to medium-rare, tender and delicious with a faint hint of mustard and salt and pepper. The mushroom duxelles paste was creamy and earthy with the layer of ham providing body and salty richness. The pastry was cooked though and crisp, not soggy at the bottom. The sauce au poivre was savory and peppery without overpowering. The horseradish sauce was cool and creamy, a hint of pleasant sourness before the very spicy horseradish kicked in. She forced herself to eat slowly, savoring every bite.

"Mmm, this is delicious," Sprout said as she ate hers. The professors divided the slice evenly and she had sliced hers into more pieces so she could try the sauces.

"Simply incredible," McGonagall said, chewing blissfully.

"Whoo! That horseradish has authority," Flitwick smiled, breathing deep.

"Perfect for beef," Dumbledore nodded.

Snape said nothing but his eyebrows rose in surprise as he ate. He dipped a spoon into each sauce, examining how they coated the spoon and looked at Harry with consideration.

Terry ate eagerly, still seeming like the one enjoying himself the most at the moment. Daphne ate with impeccable manners, slicing into each plate and taking measured bites slowly and politely. Seamus ate with growing enthusiasm, chewing away and nodding to himself. Hannah ate steadily, at first shyly but as she ate more, she did so with more thought and energy.

"When you are ready, push the plate forward that you deem the winner," Dumbledore said. Everyone watched as the judges voted.

"What?!" Draco exploded. "There is no way I lost this much! I demand reasoning!"

"It didn't taste as good," Seamus said bluntly. "It tasted fine, not bad really, but it didn't taste as good."

"Yeah the meat and the pastry was pretty similar," Terry said. "I actually liked the chunkier mushroom thing you did compared to the paste but the meat was a little more bland and the sauce tasted good, but the two sauces Harry made tasted better. And I like how I could add as much as I wanted of each."

"Harry treated the pastry better," Hannah said quietly. "The egg wash was applied better and it was more even. And he wrapped everything more tightly."

"His slicing was more even," Daphne said. She pointed at the pieces left on Draco's plates. "Yours are quite uneven, not uniform."

"The appearance should not matter as much as taste," Draco argued.

"Well you lacked in taste as well," Daphne said coolly with a smile. "I was pointing out something else that you did not perform as adequately." She tossed her hair. "And appearance does matter."

"There was something else," Seamus said, "something that made things taste different."

"Magic," Pansy said. The judges, Draco, and Theo looked at her. "Draco used magic to prepare the ingredients. He used it to cut and move things."

"He used magic in the beginning too!" Theo said, pointing at Harry.

"Yes but he has practiced that spell constantly, gaining proficiency. How many times did you practice your magic and the recipe?" Pansy asked. Draco looked away from her, jaw clenched. She went on, her words gaining heat and bite. "And also, you made the recipe exactly? You did not deviate?"

"Of course not, the recipe was perfect," Draco sniffed. His face curdled. "But there was not any red wine for the sauce."

"There wasn't any cognac for my sauce either," Harry said, giving Draco a cold look.

"Harry, why did you make two sauces?" she asked.

"I wanted to give options," Harry replied. "I've never cooked for them before and I don't know what they like or what they enjoy eating, so I made different sauces for them to try and while they are both spicy, they're spicy in different ways and one is cooler and creamier and the other is lighter. I wanted them to like what they were eating."

"Did you care if they liked it? Was that something you had in mind?" Pansy asked Draco. Once again, he did not answer her verbally, glaring at her instead.

"Harry wins, four votes to zero," Dumbledore said. "I trust the matter has been put to rest and the Honor Duel has been resolved?"

"Yes Sir," Harry said, looking content.

"Yes," Draco growled.

"Then let us consider the matter concluded," Dumbledore said.

Draco left with Theo on his heels, not looking at anyone and not saying a word. The Heads and the Headmaster murmured among themselves for a few moments and after congratulations offered by all save for Snape, who did give a congratulatory nod, they left too.

"Later," Seamus said and left with an awkward wave. Hannah was next to leave with an equally awkward wave.

"That tasted really good," Terry said, shaking Harry's hand enthusiastically. "So you do that in Household Charms?"

"Among learning other household charms," Harry grinned back.

"Mind if I visit and join up? I really didn't have an interest before but eating good food and learning different magic sounds fun to me."

"Sure thing," Harry said.

"Great! See you at the next meeting and in class then." The tall Ravenclaw left with a jaunty wave, whistling lightly.

"That was well made and delicious," Daphne said, giving Harry a careful look. "I can see why you enjoy his company," she said to Pansy.

"I enjoy it for more than just his cooking," Pansy said sharply.

"I know, like I said, after today's performance, I can see why." She smiled fully, a smile that he had not seen before. "Thank you for the treat. The meal and the opportunity to see Draco laid low." With a half bow, half curtsy, she left.

Pansy watched Harry gather his dishes for a moment before she started to help him.

"You don't have to," he said.

"You're doing it."

"I made the mess," he chuckled. "Force of habit." They gathered the things to be cleaned and they both cleaned them with copious Scouring Charms. "Hey, you're getting better with those."

"Thank you, it is rather handy," she said. She smiled wryly. "Perhaps one day I will shock my parents and show them that I can clean with it."

"Is everything going to be okay?" he asked softly. "For you I mean, with Draco."

"No," she said bluntly. "Nor do I care if they are. He went too far and I…I don't deserve it."

"You really don't," Harry said earnestly.

"I will handle what comes," Pansy said, her voice an odd mix of surety and uncertainty. She sighed and looked at him, feeling shy all of a sudden. "Thank you, for wanting to win for me too."

"Of course. You're a good friend," Harry said with utter conviction. He smiled impishly. "Tea tongue and all."

Pansy laughed, a bright and free sound. "I am glad you think so and you're a good friend too." She hugged him and sighed when he hugged her back. "That was the best Wellington I've ever had."

"I'll make it for you when you want," Harry said.

"That sounds nice," she smiled.

-0-0-0-

Zincat - Harry has stood up for himself in some situations, like against Marge. That said, yes, he is more confident in his cooking in some ways. Nervous for some people to try it and unsure if they will like it, hopeful even, but he knows he can cook. As I said before, there will be a pairing eventually but it isn't the focus quite yet, even then, it won't be a focus per se.

odonnellzoo99 - I miss the old Iron Chef shows. I loved the Japanese version and the earlier US version. I loved watching them when I could. The others in the Slytherin room watching probably didn't want to get involved and were content to see what would happen.

poka - I leaned more into sheer arrogance from Draco for this as opposed to outright foul play. I thought that would fit him in this case. He looked down on cooking so much, thinking it beneath him, then approached it with his usual inflated sense of self-worth, and then tried to cast blame. He probably was still trying to coast on stacking the judges before and he truly underestimated Harry all this time. However, I don't know if that came across. I hope it did.

Kaya - I tried to show it that it was a variation of an Honor Duel, and they have to be carefully conducted, hence why the teachers were involved. I am trying to show Snape just being tired of it all and Harry being just different enough in the beginning would make him less Snape-ish as he was in canon. I'm glad you liked the slap scene. I worked hard on it and wanted it to feel real.

Shad0wGh0st - I hope you enjoy today's chapter then.

DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Hope things calm down for you soon.

alix33- A well earned slap. And angry Hedwig attacking because her treats were being poached was very fun to write.

Hand Off MY Wolfie - Draco has many flaws. Many many flaws. Also yes, Hedwig will have to learn to share, eventually, maybe.

DarkRavie - Thank you.

iamshinydragonmist - There will be a pairing eventually. No plans on showing Totsuki but who knows what might happen when I formally finish this fic.

- Thank you.

Uber Ghidorah - It's possible, eventually. But not quite yet.